US Ambassador To Russia Says That One Of WikiLeaks' Edward Snowden Claims Is False

Michael McFaul, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, told Business
Insider that he did not reach out to the Human Rights Watch
organization about National Security Agency leak source Edward
Snowden on Friday.

McFaul's comment directly contradicts information about the
meeting released earlier by the anti-secrecy group
WikiLeaks, which alleged McFaul called an HRW representative
about Snowden to say that the U.S. does not view him as a
"whistleblower" under the law.

WikiLeaks suggested that McFaul's call to the representative
proved that Snowden was being "persecuted" by the U.S.

"The Human Rights Watch representative used this opportunity to
tell Mr Snowden that on her way to the airport she had received a
call from the US Ambassador to Russia, who asked her to relay to
Mr Snowden that the US Government does not categorise Mr Snowden
as a whistleblower and that he has broken United States law,"
WikiLeaks said.

"This further proves the United States Government’s persecution
of Mr Snowden and therefore that his right to seek and accept
asylum should be upheld."